The Theater of Love
by ThatOneAoTFan
Summary: Eren has always loved acting, even though his stage fright always forced him away from the roles he deserved. So when he develops a rivalry with theater prodigy Levi Rivaille, will he conquer his fear of the larger roles? And will that 'rivalry' with Levi blossom into something more? (Private school/Modern AU) RiRen, JeanMarco, M for later chapters.
1. The First Day Is Never Easy

(A/N: Welcome! This will be my very first published fan fiction! So please be very kind on me. TTnTT I'll try to keep this one updated. Read on, weary traveler, and enjoy the ups and downs of this fan fiction!)

**Chapter 1 (The night before the first day)**

The night before the first day of school had always unnerved Eren. Especially this year. He was going through some very large changes this year. One, it would be his first year of high school, which everybody always said was the worst. Like that was reassurance to a shy geek like him. To make it worse, he had moved cities over the summer, so he knew virtually nobody, and the school his mother, Carla Jaeger, enrolled him in was a private school. Which meant stuck up rich kids and stuffy uniforms after the first day.

"Mom, have you seen the box with my cardigans?" he called down the hall to his mother, who was sitting on the couch with his sister Mikasa and watching the news. "I can't find it."

"I think it's still in the truck," she called back. "And the car's locked. My keys are hanging up if you want to unlock it and get it."

"Thank you Mom." he got up and stretched, looking around his room. Four dark red walls with band posters scattered across them, off-white carpet, a dresser, a twin bed, a hope chest, two huge bookshelves, and a tiny closet. The room was overall bigger than his old one back in his hometown, Trost, but the house was smaller. Eren sighed. He missed his old house and all of its quirky charms, like the oak staircase and the basement, which nobody but his father, Grisha Jaeger, could get into.

His heart twinged. He missed his father. His parents had gotten a divorce in May, and arrangements to move had been set into motion not long after. He sighed and shuffled out of his new room to the front door, grabbing the keys off of its hook. He opened the door and shivered as an icy gust of wind brushed up against his arm. Trost was never this cold at night, especially in August. "It's friggen cold!" he complained to nobody in particular as he briskly walked to his mother's Subaru and unlocked it, reaching across the backseat to get a box labeled 'Eren's gay cardigans'- courtesy of Mikasa, no doubt. Sure, she could be a total pain in the ass sometimes, but she meant well and was always there for Eren when he needed it.

As Eren pulled the box out and shut the door with his hip, a streak of light caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head up. It was a shooting star- probably a straggler from July's comet storm. He closed his eyes and made a wish.

Please…Please let this year be different. _Let me make friends…Enjoy my Freshman year._ He opened his eyes and shuffled back inside, closing the door behind him.

"What took you so long, Eren?" Carla asked, looking up as she heard the door close.

"Saw a shooting star," he said simply, walking back to his room and setting the box on the floor before shutting the door behind him.

Mikasa knocked at his door. "Eren," she said quietly. "Do you want me to help you pick out your first day of school outfit?"

Eren smiled. That was always a tradition with them, for Mikasa to help him plan his first day outfit. This year was especially important, as is this would be the only time he could wear his normal clothes the entire year. "Yes, please."

Mikasa opened the door. Her and Eren looked almost nothing alike, her with black hair, pale skin, and dark eyes, and him with tan skin, deep brown hair, and turquoise eyes. "You have any idea what you wanna wear, Eren?"

The brunet grinned sheepishly. "Not in the slightest." He gestured to the several boxes scattered around his room. "Feel free to take a look in them and tell me what you think I should wear."

Mikasa sighed. "You change none." She opened the boxes and started digging through them, occasionally making small talk with Eren. "What about these jeans?" she asked, holding up blue boot cuts that were torn and ripped at the knees. "With… this shirt." she then held up a grey shirt with a tribal print.

"With…this cardigan?" Eren held up a black cotton cardigan. He looked at the three articles of clothing. It seemed like a good fit to him. "Then I'll wear my combat boots and All Time Low bracelets."

"Sounds like a plan." she patted his head affectionately before exiting the room, shutting the door behind her.

Eren looked around for his combat boots and socks in the mess that was his room, letting out a victorious "Yes!" when he found them. Then he put them in a safe place for the night. "I'm going to bed," he called down the hall before shutting his door again, switching off his lights, sliding off his clothes and crawling into bed.

_Please… God Please…Make this year all right. _

(A/N: And that's Chapter one, darlings! Sorry for it's shortness/randomness, just needed and introduction! Please leave a review!)


	2. Roommate

(A/N: Second chapter, guys! ^_^ I'm trying to stay on top of this. This chapter will have some actual substance, so yay plot development!)

"It's so cold," Eren complained to Mikasa, who was driving him to school his first day. "Trost was _never_ this cold in the morning!" he pulled the sleeves to his cardigan down to try and ward off the morning chill.

"You'll have to get used to it, Eren," Mikasa said to the brunet casually. "We're here to stay."

Eren sighed. Mikasa hated their father, so she accepted the change of the divorce easily, almost gratefully. But Eren had a close bond with the man. The divorce had affected Eren the most and he hated that. "How much longer?" he asked, looking out the window to all of the trees and foliage that this town had to offer. "Look at all these big-ass trees, Mikasa." he said irritably.

"Chill, Eren," Mikasa soothed, turning on the GPS's instructions. "And we have about another ten minutes."

The brunet groaned loudly. "Mikasa," he whined.

"Not another word, Eren. It's for the best." Her eyes fluttered up. "You can see the school, Eren."

Eren looked up and gasped. The school looked like it was something out of a goddamn fairytale. A dark one, but a fairytale nonetheless. It was practically a Victorian style castle, with it's towering stone spires and ornate iron front gate. "I'm going to school _here?!_" he practically yelled.

"And," Mikasa took a deep breath, knowing this knowledge would piss Eren off to no end. "You're staying at the dormitories here."

He was astonished. "Wha- Why!" he looked at Mikasa with large, angry eyes. "I thought we decided against that!"

She let out her breath. "Mom thought it was the best thing to do. Eren…" she turned her head and looked at Eren. "Mother thinks that if we don't force you, you won't even try to make new friends." she pulled up to the large ornate gate and requested entry. "Just promise me… you'll be safe, Eren," she added as the gate creaked open and she drove through. "And you'll make good decisions." She unlocked the door and motioned Eren to get out. "Your stuff is already in your dorm. You have your schedule, right?"

Eren nodded. He couldn't believe that Mikasa would leave him here. "I guess I'll text you."

The raven haired girl nodded once before driving off, leaving Eren standing on the curb. She would honestly leave me here…? He heaved a sigh before throwing his backpack over his shoulder and walking up the grand front steps of his new hell. "Excuse me," he said politely, tapping on the shoulder of a girl with copper hair. "Could you tell me where the main office is?"

She turned to look at Eren. She was very pretty, with reddish-orange hair and eyes that seemed to match. Were those contacts? "Down the biggest hall, it's the last door on your left," she said casually.

"Thank you," he replied, following her instructions and getting his dorm number from the secretary. His footsteps echoed down the hall eerily. He wasn't used to this empty silence. Eren arrived to the room and looked at the door. Room 469. He had the right place, all right. He took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping through the threshold and looking around.

Four white walls, grey, washed out carpet, and two dreary twin beds. Charming. Eren snorted. Mom's making me stay here. Freaking. Peachy.

A deep voice came behind him. "Who the fuck are _you_?"

Eren turned around and faced the man. He was tall and lanky, and his face was almost… long. Eren blinked a few times. He almost resembled a horse. "I'm Eren Jaeger," he responded slowly. "I was told that this was my new dorm. And you are..?" he regarded the man nervously. He looked like a Sophomore, possibly a Junior.

"Great, I got roomed with a stupid Freshman," he snorted and ran a hand through his sand-colored hair. Or at least, the top of it was blonde. The bottoms were shorter, almost buzzed. And colored black. "I'm Jean Kirschtein," he drew out each syllable as if Eren was slow. "I'm a Sophomore. I have a few rules," he went on, ignoring Eren's scowl. "We listen to _my_ music, the left side of the room is _mine,_ and if you want to get ready in the morning, get up earlier than me."

Who the hell does this asshole think he is?! "Listen-" Eren began, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. "Who is it?"

"Principal Smith."

Jean stiffened. "C-Come in, sir!"

Principal Smith opened the door and walked in. He was tall and well-built, with nicely groomed blond hair and deep blue eyes. In his large hand he held a large, dark blue bag. "I have your uniforms," he said, handing it to Jean. "I do hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"Of course not!" Jean plastered a huge smile on his face. Eren could tell it was hugely fake. "I was going over the few rules I had about our room with Eren here." he laughed quietly.

Principal Smith smiled. "I'm glad you two are getting along. I'll be going now." He pat Jean on the shoulder before exiting the room and shutting the door behind him.

Once his footsteps faded, Jean cast a sidelong smirk at the brunet. "Just stay out of my way, Jaeger." He walked over to his side of the room (which was decorated in posters of half-naked women- how had principal Smith _not_ noticed that?!) And stripped down to his boxers and crawled into his bed. "Good night."

Eren was pissed. First, he had to move away from the only place he had ever called home. Then, his mother lied and stuck him in a dorm against his will. Third, his roommate was a total _tool._ He cast a glare to the bag that Principal Smith had left behind. He stripped down to his boxers as well and crawled into his bed, staring at the single box that Mikasa had left him, which probably contained his hair brush, underwear, socks, toothpaste, and shampoo.

_Thanks a lot, guys._ Was the last thing he thought before drifting off into an uneasy sleep.

(A/N: There's chapter two for you darlings. Jean's a real asshole… -.- Sorry if it still isn't very… plot-full. If that's even a word. See you next time!)


	3. Bully

Eren slept terribly through the night, plagued by nightmares and waking up every so often to Jean's obnoxiously loud snoring. So when morning came, filling the normally dreary room with a golden buttery light, it was almost a relief.

The brunet sat up and cast a glance over to his irritating roommate, who was sleeping face first on his bed, the blankets carelessly tossed to the floor. He was snoring loudly.

_What a charming horse I've been chosen to share a stable with._ He snorted and got out of bed, grabbing the dark blue bag containing the uniforms and silently padding to the bathroom, which was small and cramped. Fucking. Peachy. He stripped himself of his boxers and turned the shower on, stepping in and sighing at the feeling of the hot water blasting away any tension in his muscles.

After his steamy hot shower (Because why the fuck should he leave any hot water for the equine shitbird) he dried his wet body off with the towel left there and peered into the bag. He admired his uniform as he pulled it out of the bag. It was an iris blue jacket with black detailing, a white button down, a black tie, and black slacks. It was artfully cut and looked hella flattering. He peered into the bag a second time. Jean's was the same style, but red and white. Huh.

After changing into his uniform and struggling with his tie, Eren walked out of the bathroom and peeked around the corner to check and see is Jean was still sleeping, which he was. Eren shrugged and left the room and walked down the hall, using his handy mini-map to guide him to the cafeteria. But upon rounding the corner, he was greeted my a horrible sight.

"What are you going to do, cry about it?" A tall teen demanded as he kicked another student's book out of reach. The victim at hand was obviously a Freshman, with wide blue eyes and an innocent demeanor. He seemed near tears as he and his possessions were manhandled.

"Please, just let me go!" he insisted tearfully. He tried scrambling for his books but they were kicked even further out of reach.

"Hey, asshole! Let him go!" Eren yelled as he put himself between the older male and the Freshman. "Whatever it is that's going on, just cut it the fuck out!"

The taller male picked Eren up by the collar. "Or _what,_ pipsqueak?" His blue eyes were intimidating and sharp.

Eren did the unthinkable; he was so impulsive sometimes it hurt. "This, you bastard!" he snarled, spitting in the man's face and twisting to kick him in the junk.

The Sophomore was stunned as he dropped Eren and staggered back. "Why you-!"

"Come on guys, this isn't the time!" A new voice was heard in the hallway. It was also a male, taller than Eren and thin, with an undercut that was colored a chocolate brown. Eren had no idea he was, because he had on a different colored uniform than both him and the male who he attacked.

"M-Marco," the tiny Freshman on the ground whimpered. He stood up and quickly gathered his books and rushed to the new male's side.

Marco- was that what the blond had said?- put himself between Eren and the tallest man who the brunet had attacked. "Reiner, just go and chill," he insisted and folded his arms. "It's not cool to pick on Freshman."

Reiner curled his lip but backed off, his heavy footsteps finally fading from the hallway.

"Ahem," Marco cleared his throat. "Please excuse Reiner, he's a bit…"

"Of an asshole?" Eren offered.

"Very much so." Marco offered his hand and pulled Eren up from off the floor. "Marco Bodt's the name. I'm a Junior. And you are?" Marco smiled. He seemed like a nice person, with sweet brown eyes and a few freckles dotting his face. He was wearing a dark grey version of the school's uniform with red detailing.

"Eren Jaeger," the brunet replied slowly, taking in all that had just happened in a short amount of time.

"Nice to meet you Eren. And this is Armin, by the way," he gestured to the blond Freshman.

"A-Armin Arlert," the boy in question replied quietly. "I'm a Freshman." He offered his hand out to Eren so they could shake.

"I think Eren already knows that," Marco chuckled quietly. "Were you headed to the cafeteria, Eren?"

The brunet nodded. "Yeah. Why?" he took a short look around to see if anybody had seen his confrontation with Reiner. They were the only three in the hall.

"I was headed there too. Do you want me to show you two there?" the other brunet offered.

Eren smiled. This was the first two friendly faces he's seen since arriving to this hellhole. "I'd like that. Are you coming too, Armin?"

"Sure!" Armin chirped. "Let's go!"

Marco smiled and led the two younger boys to the cafeteria, and chatted quietly with them about the school's sports and programs.

Eren and Armin sucked in a deep breath when they saw the cafeteria. No, this wasn't anything like Trost Middle School's cafeteria. The interior was beautiful, with marble-esque flooring and stone tables with blood red table cloths. It looked like a place of sophistication, and to be truthful, it scared the piss out of Eren. It certainly didn't look like a place he would fit in easily to.

"Are you hungry, Eren?" a quiet voice interrupted the male's thoughts. He turned his head towards Marco and Armin, who were looking at him and smiling.

Eren's stomach growled. "Uh, sure. Thank you."

Marco looked at the line. "You two wait at the table closest to the door. I'll be back with some food."

Eren nodded and sat at the table with Armin as Marco stood in line. "He seems like a nice guy," he remarked absentmindedly.

"He is," Armin agreed. "We've been friends since Pre-K." he ran a hand through his golden hair. "My barrettes are coming loose," he pouted and took out three pink and yellow star barrettes and ruffled and fixed his hair before placing back in to his hair.

Eren blinked a few times. _Aren't those girl's barrettes? Aren't barrettes_ for _girls?_

Armin noticed the confused look on Eren's face. "Oh. Right. You don't know." his full lips turned down into a frown. "I guess I should tell you I'm hella gay."

That explained so much. Eren nodded. It wasn't like he hadn't had gay friends before- and it wasn't like he wasn't questioning his sexuality himself. His motto was 'Bisexual till proven otherwise.' So it didn't really bother him.

"Sorry it took so long guys!" Marco slid into his seat, next to Eren with a large tray full of three scones that looked absolutely to die for, three cups of fresh fruit, and three glasses of chocolate milk. "Figured you two would want a little something sweet to keep you going your first day." he smiled and distributed the food among the three teens.

Eren smiled politely at the Junior and took a bite of his scone. It was delicious, crispy, and sweet. Who knew a scone could make a person so happy? "Damn, this is amazing!" he said after swallowing the bite.

"Isn't it?" Marco replied as he took a drink of his milk. "The food here is great."

It seemed like absolutely no time had passed as the trio talked and ate their breakfast as if they had been best friends for all of their lives. So the bell ringing was a complete surprise to Eren. "Huh. That was fast," he poke as he stood up and carried his garbage to the trash with Armin and Marco at his side.

"Do you two need any help finding your classes?" Marco asked as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

Both Eren and Armin shook their heads. "Most of my classes are on the first floor, so I think I'll be safe." the brunet replied. "But thanks!"

"I'll see you two sometime during lunch then!" As Marco, Eren, and Armin parted ways, Eren couldn't help but feel… confident.

This year would be different.

He could _feel_ it.

(A/N: Horray for chapter three! And longer chapters! *-(^_^)-* Thank you to all of you who are reading this, especially those that are my Twitter friends that put up with my constant 'unmotivated whining'. AKA FemEren, Eren, etc. I'll upload chapter four as SOON as I can! Remember to favorite, review, such and such! Until then~! -Levi)


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